Autonomous surveillance duo

ABSTRACT

A surveillance duo that includes a pod and a rover.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/699,024, filed Jul. 17, 2018, which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to surveillance devices.

Historically, visual surveillance systems were designed as permanentadditions to existing site infrastructure, and they were intended toprotect assets and monitor activity in and around buildings and groundsby adding audio-video capture. They typically would extend existingsecurity installations (comprised of specialty sensors for contact,motion, heat, chemicals, water, etc.), but they might also entailentirely new custom installations. Because of the significant investmentof time and complexity of installing, such systems were generallypermanent and unchanging without major redesign. As a result, camerasneeded to be carefully placed at predefined, strategic locations withinor on buildings or on poles and other structures that could provide goodvantage points. And until recently sensors were hardwired to datacollection nodes and monitoring centers, so reconfiguration wasdifficult and time consuming.

One advantage of such fixed-location/stationary camera installations isthat camera positions can be precisely known, and therefore the relativepositions of objects and events detected in the scene can be preciselyinferred. Temporal synchronization is relatively straightforward ascameras operate on a common clock. And knowing the exact positions ofcameras relative to one another facilitates reliable integration ofevents moving between the fields-of-view (FOVs) of different cameras.

The advent of low-cost, hi-res digital cameras and the emergence ofrobust wireless broadband technologies such as WiFi and 4G/5G enablemore flexible positioning and repositioning of cameras. However,stationary cameras remain susceptible to occlusions (both permanent andtransitory), adverse lighting effects (such as glare and shadowing), andlack of sufficient resolution at distance. As a consequence, some modernsurveillance systems have come to incorporate mobile cameras—i.e.,cameras mounted on moving platforms—which can provide more comprehensivedata gathering and more detailed views of a particular area orsituation.

Mobile platforms may be distinguished according to their navigationcontrol paradigm (manually driven, tele-operated, or autonomouslydriven) and according to their operating environment (air, land, orsea). Waterborne vehicles are generally an exclusive concern of navaloperations and have a different set of concerns from autonomous groundvehicles (AVGs). While airborne vehicles might ultimately enhance sitesurveillance, they are currently subject to shifting FAA regulations andlocal-varying legal operating restrictions.

Mobile camera platforms are capable of moving closer to events as neededand to attain better vantage points as circumstances permit. However itremains a major challenge to determine the exact location of the mobileplatform and its cameras at any instant, especially while moving. Whilesignificant progress has been made using modern techniques such assensor-fusion and SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping), largeuncertainties can still be present due to drift of inertial sensors andlack of sufficient positional resolution of public GPS.

This lack of accurate positioning has prompted some vendors to developand install proprietary differential positioning systems. But suchproprietary differential positioning systems tend to be site-specificand are therefore brittle and costly to deploy. More recently, somevendors have announced visual surveillance products that are stationaryor mobile, but these are not tightly integrated into a unified solution.They typically act as independent components with specific dutiesapplicable to specific situations, and any integration happens throughthe backend.

More recently, there has been activity in so-called robot swarms. Thistrend has found particular appeal in the unmanned airborne vehicle (UAV)arena, and it can be viewed as an extension of classic parallelprocessing paradigms (in particular, SPMD—Single Program MultipleData—models) to robotics. Swarms are generally motivated by biologicalexamples (ants, bees, etc.), where multiple identical agents with thesame capabilities realize a multiplicative advantage by each working ona small chunk of the problem. In surveillance, this typically meanssub-regions of the area to be surveilled would be assigned to swarmmembers in 1-to-1 or 1-to-many-fashion.

Needless to say, coordination of a swarm's tasking can be complex. Moresignificantly, since all agents have the same capabilities (bothstrengths and weaknesses), the swarm is not able to directly compensatefor individual shortcomings. Instead, the swarm works through redundancyof effort, seeking to overwhelm the problem through brute-force ratherthan exploiting complementary capabilities. In addition, the swarmapproach does not explicitly embody a means to rapidly deploy to a givensite.

The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of theinvention will be more readily understood upon consideration of thefollowing detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a duo fully deployed.

FIG. 2 illustrates the duo in transport mode.

FIG. 3 illustrates the duo with a cross section of a pod bay with arover secured for transport.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of the duo in dolly mode.

FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B illustrate a front view and a rear view of the duoin dolly mode.

FIG. 6 illustrates a top view of the duo in dolly mode.

FIG. 7 illustrates the duo with the pod stabilized and the roverunloading.

FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B illustrate a front elevation and a rear elevation ofa deployed rover.

FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B illustrate a side elevation of a mast lowered and amast raised of the deployed rover.

FIG. 10 illustrates a top view of the deployed rover.

FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate a front elevation and a rear elevation ofthe deployed pod.

FIG. 12 illustrates a top view of the deployed pod.

FIG. 13 illustrates a vertical alignment of a pod's charging plate witha rover's plate.

FIG. 14 illustrates an alternative placement of the charging platetransmitter.

FIG. 15A and FIG. 15B illustrate a front elevation and a top view ofsensor mast guy wires.

FIG. 16 illustrates alternative embodiments of pod mast section joints.

FIG. 17 illustrates a single side mounted and bilateral mounted solarpanel configurations.

FIG. 18 illustrates a side elevation of sensor cap surveillance cameraand lighting rigs.

FIG. 19 illustrates a top view of the sensor cap surveillance camera andlighting rigs.

FIG. 20 illustrates a side view of a rover camera and lightingconfiguration.

FIG. 21 illustrates a top view of the rover camera and lightingconfiguration.

FIG. 22 illustrates pod and rover coordinate frames and FOVs.

FIG. 23A, FIG. 23B, and FIG. 23C illustrate inter-zone coordination.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The following figures serve to illustrate various embodiments. It shouldbe noted that modifications of size, placement, numbers of elements,etc. may be used to provide similar functionality. So for example, theone embodiment shows the pod employing a 3-sectioned sensor mast. But a2-sectioned or single-sectioned sensor mast should be consideredessentially equivalent as they are both intended to provide anadvantageous viewpoint for the pod's surveillance sensors. The mastcould also be telescoping, allowing for more rapid deployment intime-critical situations. Likewise, the erected mast is shown located onthe forward deck in the starboard position. If it is deemed moreadvantageous or otherwise desirable to erect the mast (or even to addmasts) at central or port positions, these variations should beconsidered equivalent insomuch as they provide good coverage for thepod's sensors.

In the figures, curved arrows refer to elements that are hidden orinterior to what is shown, while straight arrows refer directly to whatis visible. For assistance, a figure labelling taxonomy is provided inthe following tables. This consists of leading “agent” labels andtrailing “element” labels. Substituting 1 for x in the leading positionrefers to a pod element; substituting a 2 refers to a rover element.Thus, 1.1 indicates the pod sensor mast, while 2.1 indicates the roversensor mast.

TABLE 1 Figure Labels. Leading Labels Trailing Labels 1 2 0 x Pod RoverService Vehicle x.0 Trailing Wheels Drive Motor Wheel Assembly X x.0.1Pod Fender Rover Fender X x.1 Sensor Mast Sensor Mast X x.1.1 Sensor CapSensor Cap X x.1.2 Sensor Mast Restraining Bracket X X x.1.3 Mast GuyWire X X x.1.3.1 Mast Guy Wire Deck Anchor X X x.1.3.2 Mast Guy WireRoof Anchor X X x.1.4 A/B Sensor Mast Join X X x.2 Stabilizing PedestalStereo Cameras X x.2.1 Forward Pod Deck Stereo Rig Rail System X x.3 XFront Driving Lights X x.3.1 Tail Lights Backup Lights X x.3.2 X FrontDriving Light Cowlings X x.4 Mounted Solar Panel X X x.4.1 Optional RoofSolar Panel Optional Roof Solar Panel X x.4.2 Proximity Charging PlateProximity Charging Plate X x.4.2.1 Charging Plate Adjustment Bracket X Xx.4.3 Solar Panel Mounting Bracket X X x.5 Lower Convection CoolingCovers X X x.5.1 Upper Convection Exhaust Cap X X x.6 Pod Tow Tongue XService Vehicle Tow Hitch x.6.1 Pod Tow Tongue Dolly Wheel X X x.6.2 PodChassis Receiver Channel X X x.7 Pod Cargo Bay Rover Body Capsule X x.8Inclined Cargo Bay Floor X X x.8.1 Rear Door Ramp X X x.8.1.1 TrackGuide Rails X X x.8.2 Rear Door Latch X X x.9 Cargo Winch X X x.9.1Cargo Winch Cable Front Winch Eyelet X x.9.2 Rear Restraining Strap RearTie Down Eyelet X

TABLE 2 Figure Labels (continued). Trailing Leading Labels Labels 1 2 0x Pod Rover Service Vehicle x.10 RTK GPS Base Station RTK GPSTransceiver X x.11 Surveillance Camera Rig Surveillance Camera Rig Xx.11.1 360° Omni-Camera 360° Omni-Camera X x.11.2 360° Field of View360° Field of View X x.11.3 Weather Cap Weather Cap X x.12 SurveillanceLighting Rig Surveillance X Lighting Rig x.12.1 Multi-Lamp LampMulti-Lamp Lamp X Assembly Assembly x.12.2 Overlapping Flood FieldsOverlapping Flood Fields X x.12.3 Weather Cap Weather Cap X

In general, the system includes a heterogeneous pair of autonomousagents, with complementary functionality, termed an AutonomousSurveillance Duo. A duo typically consists of a stationary surveillanceplatform termed a pod and a mobile surveillance platform termed a rover.The duo supports rapid and flexible deployment for ad-hoc surveillancesituations, but it also supports seamless, flexible integration withexisting security installs. The pod has a cargo bay, which houseshardware components integral to the pod's mission, including: electricalcharging and storage units; computational and communication units; andenvironmental maintenance components, such as cooling fans. The bay alsohouses the rover itself during transport, and an integral trailerchassis with detachable tongue allows both the pod and the rover to beeasily hauled by a service vehicle to the surveillance site. Once setupand calibrated, the pair is able to perform autonomous, jointsurveillance of a designated zone on site. The respective strengths ofeach agent enhance the capabilities of the other. Thus, the precisegeo-referencing of the pod's position assists in accurately locating therover as it moves. And the rover's ability to move about and gainadvantageous imaging positions provides a more complete assessment ofthe state of the zone than would otherwise be possible from a singlestationary vantage point.

The pair of autonomous agents enables effective ad-hoc visualsurveillance, which can be rapidly deployed and readily reconfigured.

The pair of autonomous agents may be used as “permanent” enhancements ofexisting/legacy surveillance installs (with expected service on theorder of years).

The pair of autonomous agents may be used as semi-permanent surveillanceof limited-duration events such as monitoring construction sites (withexpected service on the order of months).

The pair of autonomous agents may be used as temporary surveillance ofshort-term, planned events such as outdoor concerts, fairs, etc. (withexpected service on the order of days.

The pair of autonomous agents may be used as rapid-response deploymentto surveil unplanned, emergency situations such as crime scenes oraccident scenes (with expected service on the order of hours).

Rover autonomy facilitates programmatic coordination with its podpartner for successful duo surveillance. This permitssecurity/surveillance personnel to attend to higher-level tasks ratherthan having to directly operate the rover, and in some cases it mayreduce the number of personnel required.

Referring to FIG. 1, a fully deployed pod 1 is shown with a sectionedmast 1.1 erected on a forward deck 1.2.1 and with a detachable sensorcap 1.1.1 mounted atop mast. The mast is preferably hollow with cablesrunning up the center to provide power and data linkage to the cap. Themast is preferably telescoping so that it may have an extended and aretracted state. Restraining brackets 1.1.2 may be used to secure themast to the pod frame. Stabilizing pedestals 1.2, one per corner, areextended to raise and level the pod base. This minimizes pod motion andprevents rolling by having the trailing wheels 1.0 off the ground.Preferably, the pedestals employ ratcheted pillars or screw jacks sothat each pod corner can be incrementally jacked up or down toefficiently raise and level the pod. The pod's charging plate assembly1.4.2 is mounted into the chassis receiver channel and connected to thepod's charging subsystem. Vertical solar panels 1.4 are mounted andoriented with adjustable side brackets, and they too are connected tothe charging system. Lower side awning vents 1.5 are swung open toenable convection cooling via an upper convection exhaust vent 1.5.1located atop the pod roof. The pod's interior cargo bay 1.7 is alsoindicated. The bay houses the secured rover during transport. It is alsothe location for all of the pod's hardware subsystems for surveillance,communications, and power management.

A fully deployed rover 2 is shown with its telescoping mast 2.1 raisedand its sensor cap 2.1.1 mounted atop the mast. Here again the mast ishollow so that cables can be run up the center to provide power and datalinkage to the cap. A stereo SLAM camera rig 2.2, located forward of thesensor mast, provides visual navigation input. Forward driving lights2.3 are located at the front of the rover. The rover's body capsule 2.7is also indicated. The rover 2 has a set of four wheels 2.0. The capsulehouses all of the rover's hardware subsystems for surveillance,communications, navigation, and power management.

Referring to FIG. 2, a side elevation of pod 1 is shown in transportmode, riding on its trailing wheels 1.0 and hitched to a service vehicle0. Mast sections 1.1 are secured on the forward deck 1.2.1 byrestraining brackets 1.1.2 for travel. Stabilizing pedestals 1.2 areretracted and locked up. Lower side awning vents 1.5 are closed andlatched for travel. An upper convection exhaust 1.5.1 is shielded fromelements by a top cap, and an inside plug/baffle is sealed to preventingesting dirt during travel. The pod's detachable towing tongue 1.6 isinserted and locked into the pod's chassis receiver channel at the frontof the forward deck 1.2.1, and it is attached to service vehicle's towhitch 0.6. The tongue's dolly wheel 1.6.1 is retracted and locked up fortravel.

Referring to FIG. 3, a cross-section of pod bay with rover secured fortransport is illustrated. The rover 2 is illustrated as stowed in thepod cargo bay 1.7. The bay floor 1.8 is sloped upward at its forward endto facilitate rolling the rover out of the rear ramp door 1.8.1 when itis lowered. In this view, the ramp door is shown in its locked upposition for travel. The rover is towed into the bay by the pod'sforward winch 1.9, and it is secured for travel at its forward end by atensioned winch cable 1.9.1 and at its rear end by a tightened groundstrap 1.9.2. The pod's towing tongue 1.6 is shown locked into the pod'schassis receiver channel 1.6.2 at its rear end and attached to servicevehicle's ball hitch 0.6 at its front end. The corner stabilizingpedestals 1.2 and tongue dolly wheel 1.6.1 are locked up for travel, andthe pod rests on its trailing wheels 1.0.

Referring to FIG. 4, a side view of the dolly is shown. FIG. 4 issimilar to FIG. 2, but with the pod's rotating tongue dolly wheel 1.6.1lowered and the pod's tow tongue 0.6 unhitched. With the pod resting onits trailing wheels 1.0 and the lowered dolly wheel 1.6.1, the duo canbe moved by manually pushing/pulling and turning as required to positionand orient the pod in its ideal pose.

Referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B, a front elevation and a rear elevation ofthe duo in dolly mode is shown. The front elevation of FIG. 5A shows thethree sections of the sensor mast 1.1 unassembled and secured on theforward deck 1.2.1 by restraining brackets 1.1.2. In dolly mode, the podrests on its trailing wheels 1.0 and the dolly wheel 1.6.1 of the towtongue 1.6. The two front stabilizing pedestals 1.2 are retracted andlocked in the up position. The convection exhaust vent 1.5.1 is alsovisible atop the pod.

The rear elevation of FIG. 5B again shows the pod resting on itstrailing wheels 1.0 and the dolly wheel 1.6.1, and the two rearstabilizing pedestals 1.2 are retracted and locked in the up position.The rear door ramp 1.8.1 is shown in its up and locked position, and itis secured by the rear door latches 1.8.2. The upper and lower taillights 1.3.1 are also shown. These are the typical trailer lightcombination of travel lamp, brake light, turn signal, and backup light.Here again, the convection exhaust vent 1.5.1 is visible atop the pod.

Referring to FIG. 6, a top view of the duo in dolly mode is shown. Theduo (with the rover still secured inside the pod cargo bay) is shownfrom above in dolly mode—i.e., with the pod resting on its trailingwheels 1.0 and the tow tongue's 1.6 dolly wheel 1.6.1. This viewillustrates how the duo may be manually repositioned and reoriented(dashed arrows) by pushing or pulling or swinging the tongue 1.6. Thehollow mast sections 1.1 are secured on the forward deck 1.2.1 byrestraining brackets 1.1.2, and are shown in cross-section to reveal thebrackets, which are themselves anchored to the pod's forward wall. Asolar roof panel 1.4.1 is also shown.

Referring to FIG. 7, a pod stabilized with rover being unloaded isshown. The pod is shown raised and leveled on its corner stabilizingpedestals 1.2. The pod's mast 1.1 has been erected with its sensor cap1.1.1 mounted. The pod's rear door 1.8.1 is lowered and acts as a rampfor unloading the rover 2. Longitudinal inner-track rails 1.8.1.1 guidethe rover wheels 2.0 along their inner sidewalls during the process,thereby preventing the rover from hitting the door jamb or slipping offeither side of the ramp. They also provide additional stiffness to theramp door, allowing it to be lighter weight. The lower side awning vents1.5 have been swung open to enable convection cooling.

Referring to FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B, a front elevation and rear elevationof a deployed rover is shown. The front elevation of FIG. 8A shows therover with its telescoping mast 2.1 lowered and with its sensor cap2.1.1 mounted. The stereo visual navigation cameras 2.2 are shownmounted on the stereo rig rail 2.2.1, which allows them to be separatedand secured along a variable baseline. An optional drive camera 2.2.2 isalso shown mounted here at mid position along the rig rail. The drivecamera provides a live, low-res video feed that enables teleoperation ofthe rover. Also shown are the front drive motor wheel assemblies 2.0, aset of front driving lights 2.3 with their cowlings 2.3.2, and a rover'sfront winch eyelet 2.9.1. In addition, the rover's optional roof solarpanel 2.4.1 is visible.

The rear elevation of FIG. 8B shows the telescoping mast 2.1 lowered andwith its sensor cap 2.1.1 mounted. It also shows the rear drive motorwheel assemblies 2.0, a set of rear backup lights 2.3.1, and the rover'srear tie down eyelet 2.9.2. Finally, the rover's proximity chargingplate 2.4.2 is shown embedded in the lower mid portion of the back wall.All relevant elements on the rover's back wall are flush-mounted orrecessed. The rear eyelet is a cutout exposing a section of chassis'lower strut, which can be hooked by the pod's rear tensioning strap tosecure the rover during transport. The fact that the eyelet and thebackup lights don't protrude, allows the rover to position its chargingplate in very close proximity to the pod's charging plate.

Referring to FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B, a side elevation of the deployed roverwith the mast lowered and mast raised is shown. The elevation in FIG. 9Ashows the rover resting on its drive wheels 2.0 with its mast 2.1lowered and the sensor cap 2.1.1 mounted. As indicated above, interiorof the rover's body capsule 2.7 houses all of its hardware subsystemsfor surveillance, communications, navigation, and power management. Therover's stereo rig rail 2.2.1 is shown with one of the navigationcameras 2.2 visible. The cowlings 2.3.2 of the front driving lights 2.3are visible, but none of the elements on the rover's rear wall isvisible, since they are all flush-mounted or recessed (as indicatedabove) in order to facilitate proximity charging.

The elevation in FIG. 9B show shows essentially the same information,but with the rover's telescoping sensor mast 2.1 in its fully raisedposition.

The front driving lights are shown with protruding cowlings both toindicate that shielding driving lights from weather and environmentalelements is desirable and to assert that protrusion of elements at thevehicle's front is permitted, but not necessary. Thus, an alternativeembodiment could employ recessed driving lights with lens covers.

Referring to FIG. 10, a top view of the deployed rover is shown. In thisview, the stereo navigation cameras 2.2 are shown mounted at port andstarboard positions along the stereo rig rail 2.2.1, and the drivecamera 2.2.2 is mounted in the middle position. The four drive motorwheel assemblies 2.0 are hidden below their fenders 2.0.1. The rover'sRTK GPS transceiver 2.10 is shown, as is the optional roof solar panel2.4.1. The driving light cowlings 2.3.1 are visible at the front, andthe rover's sensor cap 2.1.1 is shown at the rear. Note that the sensorcap is itself flush with the rear of the vehicle, again in order toallow the rover to position its charging plate in close proximity tothat of the pod.

Referring to FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B, a front elevation and a rearelevation of the deployed pod is shown. Referring to FIG. 11A, the frontelevation shows the pod raised and leveled on its corner stabilizingpedestals 1.2 with its sensor mast 1.1 erected and secured by upper andlower restraining brackets 1.1.2, and its sensor cap 1.1.1 is mountedatop the mast. The roof convection exhaust 1.5.1 is shown atop the podand the lower convection awning vents 1.5 have been swung and lockedopen. The side solar panels 1.4 are mounted in their adjustable brackets1.4.3. The pod's charging plate is mounted in its height adjustablebracket 1.4.2.1, which is mounted into the trailer receiver channel atthe middle of the front deck 1.2.1.

Referring to FIG. 11B, the rear elevation also shows the pod raised andleveled on its corner stabilizing pedestals 1.2, and the sensor mast 1.1is visible with the sensor cap mounted atop the erected mast. The roofconvection exhaust 1.5.1 is shown atop the pod and the lower convectionawning vents 1.5 have been swung and locked open. The side solar panels1.4 are mounted in their adjustable brackets 1.4.3. The upper and lowertail light assemblies 1.3.1 are shown, and the pod's rear door ramp1.8.1 has been lowered to reveal the cargo bay's interior 1.7 withoutthe rover, which has already been unloaded. The cargo winch 1.9 isvisible, as is the inclined cargo bay floor 1.8. The longitudinal insidetrack guide rails 1.8.1.1 are also indicated. These are set to the widthof the rover's inner wheel track, so that they guide the rover's travelby constraining lateral motion along the inner sidewalls or its drivewheels. This ensures safe loading and unloading, and the rails addstiffness to the ramp door and the pod floor.

Referring to FIG. 12, a top view of the deployed pod is shown. In thisview the pod's deployed side solar panels 1.4 are visible, as is theoptional roof panel 1.4.1. Also showing are the pod's trailing wheelfenders 1.0.1, the roof convection exhaust cap 1.5.1, and the fourcorner stabilizing pedestals 1.2. The front deck 1.2.1 is also visible,as is the sensor cap 1.1.1. The pod's RTK base station 1.10 is shownmounted atop the sensor cap. The pod's transmission charging plate 1.4.2and its height adjustment bracket 1.4.2.1 are shown anchored into thepod's chassis receiver channel 1.6.2.

Referring to FIG. 13, a vertical alignment of the pod's charging platewith rover's plate is shown. This view shows that the height of thepod's transmission charging plate 1.4.2 can be brought into verticalalignment with the rover's receiver charging plate 2.4.2 by use of theheight adjustment bracket 1.4.2.1. Height adjustment is indicated by thevertical arrow, and vertical alignment is indicated by the horizontaldashed line through the charging plates. The rover is responsible tobring its charging plate into horizontal alignment and into proximitywith the pod's charging plate with sufficient area overlap to effect therover charging process.

Referring to FIG. 14, an alternative placement of the charging platetransmitter is shown. The pod's charging plate transmitter 1.4.2 ispositioned to one side of the towing channel receiver 1.6.2. Using asecond receiver for the charging plate's bracket 1.4.2.1 allows it to bepre-fitted with a wiring harness that speeds setting up the chargingsystem. This also reduces wear on receiver contact points that mayresult from repurposing the channel receiver for both towing andcharging. The sensor mast may also be repositioned to the center of thefront deck.

Referring to FIG. 15A and FIG. 15B, the sensor mast guy wires frontelevation and top view are shown. Referring to FIG. 15A, in the frontelevation, the erected pod sensor mast 1.1 is shown secured by therestraining brackets 1.1.2, and it is further stabilized by a set of guywires 1.1.3. Two wires attach to deck anchors 1.1.3.1 located at portand starboard positions of the forward deck 1.2.1. Two other wiresattach to roof anchors 1.1.3.2 located at port and starboard positionsat the rear of the pod roof. The upper ends of the guy wires anchor tothe base of the sensor cap 1.1.1. These wires are intended to alleviatesway of the sensor cap.

Referring to FIG. 15B, the same features are shown in top view. Two guywires run from the base of the sensor cap 1.1.1 to deck anchors 1.1.3.1at port and starboard positions on the forward deck 1.2.1. Another twowires run from the sensor cap base to roof anchors 1.1.3.2 at port andstarboard positions at the rear of the pod roof.

Referring to FIG. 16, alternative embodiments for joining the pod's mastsections 1.1 are shown. The left-side cutaway shows two mast sectionsjoined by an overlapping collar 1.14 A, which forms part of the lowerend of each mast section. Sections are joined by inserting the top ofone section into the collar base of another section. Assembly is therebynot complex and is rapid. A Teflon wrap, spray, or the like at theinterface facilitates disassembly.

Referring to FIG. 16, the right-side drawing shows sections joined bybolted flanges 1.1.4 B located at each end of a mast section. To jointwo sections requires aligning corresponding bolt holes and insertingand tightening a bolt-nut assembly for each hole. While assembly may bemore time consuming than with the collar, the join may be more stable. Agasket at the interface facilitates disassembly.

Referring to FIG. 17A/B, illustrates mounted solar panel configurations,for single side mounted and bilateral mounted. The panels 1.4A aremounted on a single side of the pod (i.e., port side). This is theconfiguration illustrated in previous figures, but starboard mounting isalso feasible. In this configuration, the pod is oriented so that theside on which the panels are mounted faces the sun's direction (i.e.,southward in the northern hemisphere).

The original panels 1.4A and additional panels 1.4B are mountedbilaterally (i.e., on both the port and starboard sides). In thisconfiguration, the pod is oriented so that the sun's arc crosses fromone set of side panels to the other. This configuration shows the podoriented with its front (indicated by its forward deck 1.2.1) facing thesun's direction, so the sun crosses from port to starboard. The pod mayalso be oriented with its aft facing the sun.

Referring to FIG. 18, the sensor cap, the surveillance camera, and thelighting rigs from a side elevation are shown. One embodiment of thepod's sensor cap 1.1.1 is shown. One embodiment of the surveillancecamera rig 1.11 comprises a single downward-facing 360° omni-camera unit1.11.1 with integrated 2-way audio and protected by a weather cap1.11.3. The rig is mounted away from the mast 1.1 so as to provide adownward pose and minimize visual obstruction by the mast. The camera'sfield of view is illustrated by the pencil of dashed rays 1.11.2 passingthrough the camera focal point. This embodiment shows a quad lampsurveillance lighting rig 1.12 mounted in opposing position above thecap's armature so as to counterbalance the camera rig. In thisembodiment, the rig consists of 4 lamps, two of which are visible1.12.1, and the lighting rig is similarly protected by a surmountingweather cap 1.12.3. Lamps are preferably oriented at approximately 45,135, 225, and 315 degrees relative to the pod's longitudinal axis toprovide omni-directional coverage. By placing the lamps above the cameraand orienting them outward and downward the overlapping lighting floodfields, illustrated by the outlined fan shapes 1.12.2, they are able toilluminate the scene without directly impinging on the camera'slens—thereby reducing glare. The arc outlines generally illustrate theangular sweep of the illumination, but should not be considered limitson illumination distance.

A similar configuration may be used for the rover's sensor cap.

Referring to FIG. 19, a top view of the sensor cap, the surveillancecamera, and the lighting rigs are shown. The pod's surveillance camerarig 1.11 is seen from above, and its 360° field of view is illustratedby the pencil of dashed rays 1.11.2 passing through the camera's focalpoint. For clarity, only two of the infinite number of rays in thepencil are labelled. The lighting rig 1.12 is also shown from above. Thefour overlapping lighting flood fields are illustrated by the outlinedfan shapes 1.12.2. In practice the illumination extends beyond the arclimits illustrated.

Referring to FIG. 20, a side view of an alternative embodiment of therover camera and the lighting rig configuration is shown. The integrateddownward facing omni-camera unit 2.11.1 and its weather shield aremounted atop the sensor mast 2.1 as components of the sensor cap 2.1.1.The camera's field of view is illustrated by the pencil of dashed rays2.11.2 passing through the camera focal point. However, the lighting rigin this embodiment is distributed about the body of the rover. Itexploits the existing headlights and backup lights for illumination foreand aft of the vehicle, and it adds side surveillance lamps 2.12.2 toilluminate the port and starboard areas about the vehicle. By placingthe lamps below the camera and orienting them outward and downward theoverlapping lighting flood fields are able to illuminate the scenewithout directly impinging on the camera's lens—thereby reducing glare.The overlapping illumination fields are illustrated by the outlined fanshapes 2.12.2.

At night, the headlights are preferably on during driving; the backuplights are additionally lit when the rover is reversing or surveilling;and the side surveillance lights are added when the rover is insurveillance mode.

Referring to FIG. 21, a top view of the rover camera and lightingconfiguration is shown. The same alternative embodiment of rover'scamera and lighting rigs is shown from above. The overlappingsurveillance illumination fields are illustrated by the outlined fanshapes 2.12.2. The omni-directional camera's field of view isillustrated by the pencil of dashed rays 2.11.2 passing through thecamera's focal point.

Referring to FIG. 22, the pod and rover coordinate frames and FOVs areshown. FIG. 22 illustrates how the pod 1 maintains a local coordinatesystem (i.e., large grid) relative to the surveillance zone with theground plane projection of its sensor cap center as the origin. Thatorigin is geo-referenced so that any point within the zone can bereconciled into global latitude-longitude coordinates. FIG. 22, alsoillustrates the rover's own local coordinate system (i.e., diagonalgrid) with the ground plane projection of its sensor cap center asorigin. Thus any event detected by the rover is localized relative toits local coordinate system. And that location can be mapped to zonalcoordinates by the pod as the rover's location and pose are known inzonal coordinates. This allows triangulation within the zone, and theglobal geo-referenced mapping allows coordination across zones. Thevisual sensing range of each agent is illustrated by a dashed circlecentered on its respective sensor cap. FIG. 22 also illustrates that ingeneral neither agent is able to “see” the entire zone on its own, butby working together the zone may be successfully surveilled.

Referring to FIG. 23A, FIG. 23B, and FIG. 23C, illustrates inter-zonecoordination. FIG. 23A illustrates a site divided into multiple zoneswith one duo surveilling each zone (pods are indicated by largerrectangles and rovers are indicated by smaller rectangles). There iscommunication and mission coordination between each pod-duo pair(indicated by the dotted lines). There is also sparser communication andcoordination between neighboring pods (indicated by the dashed lines).This communication is both pulse-driven at regular intervals to maintainsynchrony and event-driven as desired. For example, a significant eventdetected in one zone may trigger metadata forwarding to a neighboringzone, if it is predicted to cross into that neighbor's territory. Thisenables anticipatory processing, which may provide more effectivesurveillance of the entire site.

Referring to FIG. 23B, an exemplary recovery strategy in the case of apod failure is shown. The failed pod's orphaned rover is temporarilyadopted by a neighboring pod until such time as the mother pod can berepaired or replaced.

Referring to FIG. 23C, another exemplary recovery strategy in the caseof a rover failure is shown. The now childless pod, communicates with aneighbor pod to temporarily share its rover until the downed rover canbe repaired or replaced. In this example, the direct communicationbetween the shared rover and its new step parent is shown. This may bemore efficient in some cases, but may also result in contention that ismediated by the shared rover. Another technique is to have the childlesspod issue indirect rover requests to the neighbor pod, who arbitratesthe servicing of these sharing requests. This avoids contention, but maynot be as time-efficient.

As illustrated and previously described, the system may include theautonomous surveillance duo comprising a stationary pod robot component(see 1 of FIG. 1) and a mobile rover robot component (see 2 of FIG. 2)that perform cooperative, joint site surveillance. The duo isresponsible to surveil a designated subarea within the site, termed asurveillance zone, which is specified at setup time and is typicallydelimited by the physical characteristics of the site and the sensingcapabilities of the duo. Multiple duos may therefore be required tosurveil the entire site.

Duo surveillance may be a cooperative computation performed by apod/rover pair. The pod/rover pair may detect and record significantzonal events within a common event database, and optional transmissionof such event logs to an associated cloud for archiving and deeperanalysis. The pod/rover pair may include heterogeneous, joint SLAM(simultaneous localization and mapping), which supports the progressiverefinement of non-transient zonal features (landmarks, structures,terrain, vegetation, water bodies, etc.) within a common map database.Additional site-specific mission tasks such as: operator-specified“go-to-and-investigate” a specific location/event; traversing designatedpatrol routes; waypoint visitation; entry-point monitoring; gaugereading; and overall zonal situation awareness may be included.

The pod component may be positioned at a predefined, advantageouslocation within a designated zone to be surveilled, and it performsstationary surveillance of those zonal sub-regions that fall withinrange of its sensors—minimally visual and audio sensors. In oneembodiment, the pod has a sectioned mast that is assembled and erectedduring deployment (see, FIG. 1 (1.1)); and a cluster of sensors islocated in a sensor cap (see, FIG. 1 (1.1.1)), which is mounted atop themast. The sensor cap may also house a lighting rig (See, FIG. 18 (1.12))to enable nighttime surveillance operations. In addition, the sensor caphouses a differential GPS base station (See, FIG. 12 (1.10)), which aidsin accurate localization of the rover. Once assembled, the sensors sithigh enough above ground to provide good visibility of the zone and goodreach for the GPS signal. In addition, the pod's imposing visualpresence acts a deterrent to malefactors.

The pod performs as a local mission manager. Once positioned, itprovides the origin of a local zonal coordinate system, and thus itsupports integration of the data collected by both it and the rover.This integrated data provides a consistent assessment of the state ofthe surveilled zone. Because the pod is stationary, it can be accuratelygeo-referenced so that the data gathered by one zonal duo can beconsistently integrated with the data of other duos operating indifferent zones on the site.

The pod also serves as a transport capsule so that the duo can berapidly deployed to any desired surveillance location. The pod iseffectively a trailer with hollow bay (see, FIG. 3 (1.7)) housing majorhardware and mechanical systems components including: computational andcommunication units; electrical charging and storage units; andenvironmental maintenance components. A detachable tongue (See, FIG. 2(1.6)) allows the pod to be hitched to a service vehicle, which tows theduo to the site. The pod's hollow interior further provides a securelockdown station for the rover (see, FIG. 3 (2)) during transport. Thepod's rear drop-down hatch serves as a loading/unloading ramp (see, FIG.7 (1.8.1)) for the rover. Two longitudinal side rails spaced at theinterior track width of the rover (see, FIG. 7 and FIG. 11B (1.8.1.1))guide the rover's wheels during loading/unloading, keeping the roverproperly aligned and prevent its reduce the likelihood off the side ofthe ramp. These rails also add strength and stiffness to the hatch/ramp.

Once the pod is positioned, solar charging panels (see, FIG. 1 (1.4))are unloaded from the cargo bay, and they are affixed to the pod onexterior mounting racks (see, FIG. 11A (1.4.3) and FIG. 11B (1.4.3)).The pod may be reoriented by manual dollying (see, FIG. 6) to providemaximum solar exposure. Depending on panel configuration the pod wouldbe oriented as illustrated in FIG. 17A/B. The pod is then raised andleveled on four corner pedestals (see FIG. 1 and FIG. 11 (1.2)) toprovide an unmoving and stable reference platform for the duo'ssurveillance tasks. The towing tongue (see, FIG. 4 (1.6)) is detachedand stowed inside the locked cargo bay, thereby preventing easy theft ofthe unit.

The pod further serves as a charging platform for both itself and therover. With the pod is in its final position, the pod's rover-chargingstation (see, FIG. 11A) is deployed and activated. The height of thepod's charging plate is adjusted via an adjustment bracket (see, FIG. 13(1.4.2.1)) to match that of the rover (see, FIGS. 13 (1.4.2 and 2.4.2respectively)). At this point, the rover may “dock” with the chargingstation in order to locate and memorize the station's coordinates withinits map coordinate system. Docking consists of positioning the rover soas to bring its charging plate into close proximity with the pod'scharging plate. Visual fiducials may be used to facilitate the process.Once a satisfactory position is achieved, power transfer can beinitiated via the proximity charging subsystem. However, the initialdocking operation is typically focused only on confirming location ofthe charging station, since the duo normally arrives on site with boththe pod and the rover fully charged. Charging of both robot componentsis automatically maintained by the pod's power management subsystem,which monitors charge/discharge rates for both robot agents, andrequires no human intervention to maintain proper charge levels. Poweris collected from solar panels affixed to the pod, and is optionallysupplemented or replaced by line source when available. Charge is storedin a bank of batteries that provide power for the pod's own systems andact as a reservoir from which the rover's batteries can be recharged.

For emergency situations, the pod can remain attached to the servicevehicle (see, FIG. 2), drawing extra power from the service vehicle asneeded. This scenario avoids the need to deploy solar panels and allaysany concerns about power exhaustion in an emergency.

The duo model also supports the case where only the pod (no rover) isdeployed at the scene. The sensor mast and cap are erected, and the podmay be drawn behind the service vehicle and positioned at variouslocations where desired—as a sort of ersatz “rover”. This providesextremely fast deployment for time critical emergency situations.

The rover component is an autonomous ground vehicle (AGV) that initiallydisembarks from the pod and calibrates its map coordinate system withthat of the pod using a combination of sensor modalities includingvision, GPS, LIDAR, IMUs, and/or visual fiducials on the pod. The roveralso localizes the pod charging station as indicated above so that itmay reliably return and recharge as desired.

Stereo SLAM software and a stereo camera rig (see, FIG. 9A, FIG. 9B, andFIG. 10 (2.2)) is mounted on the roof of the rover allow it to navigateautonomously. Localization is improved by a differential GPS transceiver(see, FIG. 10 (2.10)) positioned at the top-front of the rover andlinked to the RTK base station on the pod. Map calibration allows therover's mobile surveillance to be coordinated with that of the pod (see,FIG. 22).

In addition to navigational cameras and sensors, the rover possesses atelescoping mast (see, FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B (2.1)) capped by a sensorcluster housing an omni-directional camera (or a plurality of cameraswith overlapping FOVs). The mast may be programmatically raised orlowered as needed to provide good visibility of zonal events. The mastmay also be raised and lowered manually via a remote control app thatprovides full teleoperation of the vehicle when manual override isdesired. Rover surveillance is performed according to predefined missiondirectives and in response to events detected and/or pod issuedinterrupts.

The rover monitors its own power levels and shares this data with thepod. Optionally, the rover has a solar panel embedded in its roof (see,FIG. 10 (2.4.1)) to supplement its power reserves and prolong its dutycycle between recharges. Based on the current state of the rover batteryand the pod recharge reservoirs and based on predicted rover depletionrates and predicted pod reservoir charging rates, the duo jointly plansa recharge strategy including timing, residual rover tasking, androuting back to the pod charging station. Accordingly the roverautonomously navigates back to the charging station to performunattended charging when needed.

Daytime surveillance strategies are generally outlined previously. Thepod and the rover exploit ambient illumination to perform visualsurveillance and video capture during daylight hours. In areas of deepshadow, the rover may temporarily switch on lights for driving or tosurveil.

Daytime power management strategies are also generally outlinedpreviously. Both the pod and the rover maintain estimates of theirindividual power consumption rates and replenishment rates. The rover'sdata is forwarded to the pod whose power management subsystem estimatesthe optimal recharge scenario (timing and routing), based on the currentrover tasking schedule, anticipated recharge rates, and/or predictedpower usage curves.

During nighttime, the rover uses driving lights to visually navigate,and it may use additional illumination (see, FIG. 20 and FIG. 21) toperform its surveillance tasks. Mission tasking, especially for therover, may be adjusted opportunistically to prolong the duty cyclebetween recharges. For example, rover patrols may be performed at lessfrequent intervals, or the routes themselves may be adjusted so thatlower priority waypoints are visited less frequently. Another choice isto switch on illumination only when surveilling at waypoints.

Because lights are generally used to surveil at night, power consumptionshould be more carefully monitored, and more conservative consumptionstrategies may be adopted. More especially, the solar panels will not begenerating any additional power reserves. Apart from rover drivinglamps, surveillance illumination may be event-driven. For example,lights for both the pod and the rover may be switched on by motiontriggers and switched off with lack of motion. Another choice might beto use lower-powered IR LEDs as nighttime illumination.

As generally outlined previously, multiple duos may be used toadequately cover an entire site. This means that a duo may coordinatewith other duos in neighboring zones to improve surveillance capabilityover the entire site and to overcome individual component failures. Someexamples of inter-zone coordination are illustrated in FIG. 23A, FIG.23B, and FIG. 23C.

With event forwarding (see, FIG. 23A) metadata for significant eventsthat cross from one zone to another may be opportunistically sent fromthe originating zone to the pod of the predicted destination zone. Thiseffectively implements a simple ad-hoc sensor net over all zones.

With pod failure (see, FIG. 23B), a rover adoption procedure may beperformed. When a pod fails, the orphaned rover may be temporarilyadopted by the pod of a neighboring zone, relying on the adoptive parentfor control, coordination, and recharging until repairs can be completedor until a replacement duo can be deployed.

With rover failure (see, FIG. 23C), a rover sharing procedure may beperformed. When a rover fails, the childless pod may temporarily sharethe rover of a neighboring zone, coordinating with the “real” parent tosupply control, coordination, and recharging until repairs can becompleted or until a replacement duo can be deployed.

As previously described, the rover and pod enable flexible deployment ofvisual surveillance components where and when needed. It alsofacilitates the components being readily reconfigured as thesurveillance requirements evolve over time. Nevertheless, the data andmetadata preferably comply with existing surveillance data conventions,such as PSIM (Physical Security Information Management) and CSIM(Converged Security Information Management), so it readily integrateswith existing installs.

Pairing of heterogeneous agents (pod-rover duo) integrally blends theindividual strengths of stationary and mobile surveillance whilemitigating their respective weaknesses. The stationary pod provides areliable visual landmark and geo-referenced coordinate system with whichthe rover can be more precisely located. Conversely, the moving rovercan surveil areas that are hidden from the pod's single stationaryvantage point. In addition, both the pod and the rover offersurveillance of areas that may not be available with existing, fixedsecurity installs.

Visual and instrumented triangulation of significant events by the duopair enables more accurate localization of objects and events within thezone without the need for more expensive modalities like LIDAR. Thestationary pod improves its GPS localization by integrating over time,and the pod in turn improves rover localization via differential GPSsignaling.

A duo is designed to provide a fully functioning autonomous surveillancesolution for a given zone 24/7. Complete and continuous coverage for anentire site can thus be achieved by adding more duos. This is incontrast to previous techniques that employ a patrol model—where agentsroam about the site, but are only able to surveil what is in theircurrent field of view.

Enablement of fully autonomous (unattended) charging of both the pod androver delivers a completely self-sustaining surveillance solution thatis cost-effective because it avoids the need for expensive humanintervention. This is in contrast to previous techniques, which requireperiodic human intervention such as battery swaps to maintainfunctionality.

The design of the pod as a duo transport mechanism (with the roverriding securely inside the pod's cargo bay) supports rapid deploymentand ad-hoc surveillance for temporary events and emergency situations.

Rapid deployment also supports rapid and cost effective recovery in theface of component failures (pod or rover). A replacement duo can bequickly rolled-out at minimal effort for urgent or time-criticalsituations.

Use of existing 4G (and later 5G, etc.) public cellular networks withdata encryption provides robust bandwidth for secure transfer ofsurveillance data. Avoiding the need for a private network installprovides increased flexibility, rapid deployment, and reducedcomplexity. Such high capacity networking also allows the pod and roverto work more efficiently together, and it supports site-wide cooperationamong neighboring duos. It further allows offloading more intensiveanalyses to a cloud service as desired.

Use of open-source software and commercially available, off-the-shelfhardware components reduces delays due to software/component shortagesand speeds delivery.

The removable towing tongue allows the duo to be hitched via standardball hitch to a service vehicle for transport to the site wheninstalled, but when removed and stowed inside the pod's cargo bayprevents easy theft of the duo.

The tow receiver channel that in one embodiment alternativelyaccommodates a removable towing tongue when deploying and a charge platetransmitter when deployed provides increased flexibility.

The pod door secures the pod bay and its contents when locked up, andwhen lowered serves as a loading ramp for the rover.

The inclined pod floor exploits gravity to facilitate unloading of therover when deploying and to provide additional tension against the winchcable when transporting.

The longitudinal inner-track rails (on the door ramp and the inclinedfloor) guide the rover during loading/unloading and provide structuralstiffness to the door (allowing it to be lighter). They also reduce thelikelihood of the rover being stuck or damaged during transport and sitedeployment.

In another embodiment, a set of lights may be located on each of thefour corners of the roof of the pod. Each of the lights may be movableand directable, as desired. Having the lights located in a such aposition reduces the glare that may otherwise occur.

The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoingspecification are used therein as terms of description and not oflimitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms andexpressions, of excluding equivalents of the features shown anddescribed or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of theinvention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.

We claim:
 1. A surveillance system comprising: (a) a stationary pod that acts as a visual landmark and provides a geo-referenced coordinate system together with a pod surveillance system; (b) said stationary pod having a pod surveillance area for said pod surveillance system; (c) a mobile rover that moves across the ground that includes a rover surveillance system and a location of said mobile rover being referenced by said geo-referenced coordinate system provided by said stationary pod as it said moves across the ground; (d) said mobile rover having a rover surveillance area for said rover surveillance system that is different than said pod surveillance area when said mobile rover is spaced apart from said stationary pod; (e) said mobile rover transmits sensed rover surveillance data to said stationary pod which receives said rover surveillance data.
 2. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said stationary pod determines its location based upon a global positioning system using a temporal integration technique.
 3. The surveillance system of claim 2 wherein said mobile rover determines its location based upon a global positioning system using a differential signaling technique.
 4. The surveillance system of claim 1 further comprising an additional mobile rover that moves across the ground that includes an additional rover surveillance system and an additional location of said additional mobile rover being referenced by said geo-referenced coordinate system provided by said stationary pod as it said moves across the ground, and said additional mobile rover having an additional rover surveillance area for said additional rover surveillance system that is different than said pod surveillance area when said additional mobile rover is spaced apart from said stationary pod, and said additional mobile rover transmits sensed additional rover surveillance data to said stationary pod which receives said additional rover surveillance data.
 5. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said stationary pod includes a pod solar panel that charges a pod rechargeable power system included with said stationary pod.
 6. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said mobile rover includes a rover solar panel that charges a rover rechargeable power system included with said mobile rover.
 7. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said mobile rover includes a controller that autonomously directs said mobile rover to move to a location proximate to said stationary pod to charge a rover rechargeable power system included with said mobile rover from a pod rechargeable power system included with said stationary pod.
 8. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said stationary pod defines an enclosure sized to enclose said mobile rover, wherein said mobile rover includes a controller that is capable of directing said mobile rover to autonomously leave said enclosure.
 9. The surveillance system of claim 8 wherein said enclosure of said stationary pod includes a movable door having a closed configuration and an open configuration, wherein when said movable door is in said open configuration said mobile rover is capable of moving down said movable door onto the ground.
 10. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said rover surveillance data is transmitted as encrypted data over a cellular network.
 11. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said stationary pod includes a detachable towing tongue suitable for being detachably interconnected with a ball hitch of a service vehicle, and said stationary pod defines an enclosure sized to enclose said detached towing tongue.
 12. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said stationary pod includes an adapter for a detachable towing tongue suitable for being detachably interconnected with a ball hitch of a service vehicle and a detachable charge plate transmitter inter-connectable with said adapter.
 13. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said stationary pod defines an enclosure sized to enclose said mobile rover, wherein said enclosure defines a floor for said mobile rover, wherein said floor is inclined, and said mobile rover includes a controller that is capable of directing said mobile rover to autonomously leave said enclosure.
 14. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said stationary pod defines an enclosure that includes a movable door having a closed configuration and an open configuration, wherein when said movable door in said open configuration said mobile rover is capable of moving down said movable door onto the ground, wherein said movable door includes a longitudinal track to restrain the path of said mobile rover down said mobile door.
 15. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said stationary pod and said mobile rover record events within a common database.
 16. The surveillance system of claim 15 wherein said stationary pod and said mobile rover include a joint simultaneous localization and mapping supporting progressive refinement of non-transient zonal features within said common database.
 17. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said rover surveillance system includes both visual and audio sensors.
 18. The surveillance system of claim 17 wherein said visual and audio sensors are affixed to an extendable mast attached to said mobile rover.
 19. The surveillance system of claim 18 further comprising lighting affixed to said extendable mast.
 20. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said stationary pod provides an origin of a local zonal coordinate system for said geo-referenced coordinate system.
 21. The surveillance system of claim 1 further comprising said mobile rover interconnects with an additional stationary pod when a failure occurs of said mobile rover transmitting sensed rover surveillance data to said stationary pod.
 22. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said stationary pod includes a line input that charges a pod rechargeable power system included with said stationary pod.
 23. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said stationary pod includes a mobile service vehicle that charges a pod rechargeable power system included with said stationary pod.
 24. The surveillance system of claim 1 wherein said stationary pod includes both visual and audio sensors.
 25. The surveillance system of claim 24 wherein said visual and audio sensors are affixed to a mast attached to said stationary pod. 